Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced the Annual Circuit of Cook County Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Courthouse Tour of the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, will take place on Wednesday, May 20, 2009. Co-sponsoring the tour are the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Chicago Area, the Chinese American Bar Association, the Filipino-American Bar Association, the Indian American Bar Association and the Korean American Bar Association.

The tour offers the public a sense of the day-to-day operations of one of the nation’s largest unified court systems. Tour highlights include a visit to a courtroom to observe a trial in progress, an informal presentation by a Circuit Court judge, and the opportunity to meet with bar association representatives.

Tour participants also receive a copy of the court’s informational guide which outlines the structure of the Circuit Court of Cook County, explains the basics of trial proceedings and includes a directory of court and county services.

The Annual Circuit Court of Cook County Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Courthouse Tour is part of the court’s year-round Community Heritage Month Courthouse Tour series, which combines public education activities with national and local observances marking racial and ethnic diversity. Tours are also held during Black History Month, Women’s History Month, National Latino/Hispanic Heritage Month, Italian Heritage Month, Arab Heritage Month, Polish Heritage Month, and on Puerto Rican Heritage Day. The tours have been attended by thousands of Cook County residents.

Individuals or groups planning on attending the Annual Circuit Court of Cook County Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Courthouse Tour may contact Milissa Pacelli, of the Circuit Court of Cook County’s Public Affairs Office, at 312.603.1927 on or before Monday, May 18, 2009. The tour is limited to persons age ten and older, with a maximum of 35 persons to a group. Reservations are recommended. The tour will depart at 10 a.m. from the Daley Center’s west lobby located on the Randolph and Clark Streets side of the building.

For more information about courthouse tours and other programs and services of the Circuit Court of Cook County, visit www.cookcountycourt.org.